Check Out Amanda Brainerd’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Brainerd.

Hi Amanda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My novel was born at a dinner party in 2009. I was talking with an old friend about what it was like to be a parent now in New York versus what it was like to grow up in the city, and what parents were like in the 1980s… We said, do you remember those brothers? We were referring to siblings who spent summers in the city alone with little parental oversight in an apartment on Fifth Avenue. Nothing good happened to them.

One of the reasons there’s so much helicopter parenting today is that back then we felt neglected in many ways. Parents were just totally checked out, pursuing their own newfound freedoms in the 1970s and 80s.  And all of a sudden, the lightbulb went off, and I said to myself, I am writing this story. I initially contacted six people — although by the end of my research I had spoken to 30 — and began to interview them with the intention of writing oral history.

But while I was gathering these stories, I quickly realized it had to be a novel. I felt that fiction could more successfully convey the truth than reality. And in some cases what actually happened was so shocking that it was not believable. I had to tone it down to make it palatable.

I worked on the first draft for three years, then was unable to find an agent. So I put it in the drawer and wrote two other novels, both of which also landed in the drawer. Then, at the urging of writer Fran Lebowitz, I took Age of Consent out of the drawer, rewrote it, found an agent, and sold it to Viking. It was published in July 2020.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At the outset, a writer friend said, “This sounds like it might actually get published.” My reaction was shock, I thought, who writes a book and doesn’t think it will get published? As it turned out, she was right: the road to publication was long and circuitous. Initially, another friend (obviously I took people’s advice too often!) said it read like a Young Adult novel, and that I should rewrite it as one.

So I did. And that failed. And then I wrote a second YA novel, which also failed. Then I realized I don’t even like Young Adult novels, so I rewrote the first draft of Age of Consent. All of this while raising three children and holding down a very demanding day job. As a result, it took me almost ten years from draft one to sell the novel. Not for the faint of heart.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a novelist, although I still have a busy day job as a real estate broker. When people ask me if they should write full time I usually say no. It’s very hard to make a living as an author!

My specialty is stories about female friendships, and the struggles young women face while coming of age, navigating early careers, and finding life partners. I am most proud of how I captured the world of the early 80s. To me, Age of Consent evokes a bygone era and writing it, I could even recall the nightclubs and parties, the sounds and the smells of that time.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Putting your writing before the world is a huge personal risk. The rise of sites like Goodreads and Amazon make it even more difficult for authors, because anyone can write a review. And some of them are scathing. It can be very hurtful. People writing reviews don’t understand that authors are people too, and that many of them have worked for years on the book the reviewer just shredded. Most authors try not to read their reviews, which is smart. Obviously, I am too curious for my own good. And yes, there are many glowing reviews from total strangers, and I have received fan mail, which makes it all worthwhile. My advice to authors: make art, share it with the world, and be proud of yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website:www.amandabrainerdauthor.com
• Instagram: @amandabrainerdauthor
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandabrainerdauthor 

Image Credits
Theo Juliet